The South Asian earthquake of October 2005 devastated large parts of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control as well as significant parts of the North West Frontier province in Pakistan. As the relief effort continued, AKDN began to conceptualize the implementation of a three-year, multi-input reconstruction programme in one of the poorest and remotest valleys in Kashmir, with the aim to mobilize and assist local communities to rebuild their lives quickly. It was felt that getting people to start working on current problems would help them to deal with the deep trauma they had suffered. The work of these communities in the Chakama Valley on the Pakistan side and the Uri Block on the Indian side represents a case study in AKDN’s long-term development approach in the wake of natural disasters.